Transcript

Some years ago, a university professor wrote about what he perceived to be an obvious loss: a decreasing level of happiness in the world. Along with this loss was an increase in depression. He did not believe it was the result of financial insecurity, or increasing crime rates, or personal debt. He rather insightfully connected decreasing happiness to an increasing level of what he called uncertainty.[1]

I believe he is pretty close to the truth. People today are more and more uncertain about their future and their hope for a better world.

Ironically—and sadly––at the same time our world is feeling the devastating effects of uncertainty, many churches and Christian organizations today are diluting the certainty of the gospel so they will not offend anybody. Beloved, certainty is the heartbeat of the apostle John in his first letter.

As we sail into chapter 5, John focuses the inspired lens of Scripture on this very subject. He gives us three areas in which we can have absolute certainty.

First, we can have certainty about our standing with God. John starts out with an unapologetically absolute statement in verse 1: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”

We need to remember that when John uses the word believe, he is talking about trust in Jesus as the Messiah. To believe is more than mumbling through a church creed or reciting a prayer half awake.

John writes that when you genuinely trust Christ with your life—when you claim Him as your Messiah, your Lord and Savior—you are born of God. You are a new creature, having been born again to spiritual life into the family of God.

Along with that, something else happens to you. You not only love the Lord, but you also love those who belong in your new family. Verse 1 again: “And everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”

Maybe you have discovered that no matter where you go in the world, you find an immediate kinship with those believers you happen to meet. And that is because they are kin—they are your brothers and sisters in the family of God.

Now here is the evidence of genuine love for God—verse 3: “that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”

God’s directives are not designed to discourage us or slow us down, but to free us up. They direct us to the kind of lifestyle and goals in life that free us from regrets and guilt and sin.

John goes on to write, “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world” (verse 4). It may not always look like it, but God’s people are on the winning side. Before passing away at age of ninety-two, my missionary father would call me every Sunday morning to pray for me before I left the house to preach. He would often say, “I’m so glad we’re on the winning team.”

That victory will be fully evident when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on earth. And here is the good news: we who belong to His family will get to share in His victory, and we can be certain of that.

Second, we not only have certainty about our standing with God, but we also have certainty that Jesus is the Son of God.

In verse 6 John affirms that Jesus is the one who came “by water and blood.” He takes pains to emphasize it was not only by the water but also by the blood. Before we get too confused about this expression, let us follow his train of thought to the end. In the rest of verse 6, he mentions the Holy Spirit as “the one who testifies.”

Then in verses 7-8, John writes, “For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.”

He is talking about three witnesses here. One is the Holy Spirit, who testifies to Jesus’ identity and mission. That is easy enough to understand. But what about the water and the blood?

The Gospels give us two signature events in Jesus’ earthly life that are uniquely related to water and blood. First is Jesus’ baptism. His immersion in water was a sign of agreement with John the Baptist, the last Old Testament prophet, so to speak (see John 1:29-34). Jesus’ baptism was then followed by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who descended upon Jesus like a dove (Matthew 3:16-17). So, we have the testimony of water and Spirit.

What about the blood? Well, there was nothing more blood-stained than that old rugged cross, where He shed His blood for our redemption.

John is giving us the bookends to Christ’s earthly ministry. It began with water immersion, and it ended with crucifixion. It was all ratified by His resurrection and ascension.

So, the water, the Spirit, and the blood are unique witnesses in the courtroom of history, testifying to the truth that Jesus Christ is the God-Man. Because He is fully human, He could shed His blood; and because He is fully God, He could pay for our sins through His death and then conquer death through resurrection.

How is that for certainty? John writes, “This is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son” (verse 9). Then he adds, “Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony” God provided (verse 10).

Third, we can have certainty about our eternal life with God. Look at verses 11-12:

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The testimony John refers to is God’s inspired Word. Do you think God’s Word is uncertain? Oh no, the Bible testifies that God’s grace gives eternal life. In fact, John emphasizes here that without Jesus, it is impossible to have eternal life.

Then in verse 13, John writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Not think so, hope so, maybe so, but I know so. It is not proud or presumptuous to say you know you have eternal life; you are simply believing the truth God has revealed.

Years ago, when our children were little, a couple in our church came up to us after a Sunday service and said they would like to keep our four little children each week so Marsha and I could go out on a date. They asked, “Can we keep your four children every Thursday night?”

I said, “You can keep them all week!”

Years later, I stood in the hospital room where this gentleman was nearing the end of his life. He was slipping in and out of consciousness; I leaned down and said, “Dennis, it looks like you might make it to heaven before me. I have just come by to reassure you that because you have believed in Jesus Christ, God’s Word says, “You have eternal life; the Lord is ready and waiting to welcome you home.” His mouth opened, and he whispered, “I know.” Not, “I hope so” or “I think so.”

“Dennis, you’re going to heaven.”

“I know!”

John ends his letter with an even stronger statement about our certainty in Jesus:

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (verse 20)

How is that for certainty? If you are not trusting Him for your eternal assurance and certainty, what are you waiting for? Trust Him as your Savior today.